Reply by poopiekat

Man, I rarely even drive the 20 minutes across town to get to my local Lee Valley! Their retail model is different than, say, a Home Depot where there are floor models of everything to monkey with. You go to Lee Valley with specific items in mind to buy. The upscale tools like Veritas planes, etc are available for personal viewing, but you have to ask a salesperson to unlock a cabinet. It’s truly a better shopping experience, filling out the order form on the clipboard, and having respectful, efficient face-to-face service. LV is run more like a jewelry store than a cheezy discount tool bonanza-rama. I know I wouldn’t allow bronze planes or precision hand-forged chisels to be man-handled on a retail display. I believe the quality of their merchandise is why so much of it stays behind the counter.

-- Einstein: "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." I'm Poopiekat!!